Climbing · Worth knowing

Nepal's expedition operators are preparing for a major autumn climbing season with over 300 foreign climbers expected on Mt. Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest peak. Leading outfitters including 8K Expeditions, 14 Peaks Expeditions, Seven Summit Treks, and Asian Trekking have positioned support staff at base camps and completed logistics supply. The Expedition Operators Association Nepal has been authorized to fix climbing routes on the 8,163-meter mountain, with an experienced team set to begin rope-fixing work next week. Individual expedition leaders report strong bookings—8K Expeditions has over 60 clients, 14 Peaks Expedition over 45, and Seven Summit Treks over 40—with guides undergoing refresher training and base camp infrastructure preparation underway. Additional expeditions are being organized on Mt. Dhaulagiri, Himlung Himal, and Ama Dablam.

China has extended its ban on foreign climbers attempting expeditions on Cho Oyu and Shishapangma in Tibet throughout 2026, forcing cancellation of pre-booked reservations. The ban follows a controversial high-altitude fireworks display organized by Arc'teryx and artist Cai Guo-Qiang near Shigatse in September 2025, which triggered investigations into corruption among China-Tibet Mountaineering Association officials and Tibetan Sports Bureau staff. Climbers pursuing the 14-peak 8,000m mountaineering objective will be unable to complete their goals via the Tibetan routes, though Chinese nationals continue to have access to these mountains and expeditions on the north side of Mt. Everest remain closed to foreign mountaineers.

A 28-member Indian Army mountaineering expedition was flagged off on 18 August 2026 to attempt Jongsong Peak (7,462 metres) and Domekhang Peak (7,264 metres) in the Eastern Himalayas. Led by Lieutenant General Neeraj Shukla, the mission will test climbers' technical skill and endurance in demanding high-altitude conditions characterized by extreme weather, steep icy slopes, crevasses, and severely reduced oxygen levels above 7,000 metres. The expedition emphasizes the importance of careful acclimatisation, physical conditioning, technical expertise, teamwork coordination and disciplined adherence to safety procedures in one of the country's most formidable mountaineering environments.